The Diversity and Similarities of the Brazilian Families

The Brazilian families, just like Brazil, are diverse and plural. Family formation has been changing over the years and it can be traditional, nuclear, of single parents, of LGBT parents, adoptive, interracial, from diffent social classes etc. Families have similar and different habits and traditions, since Brazil is so culturally diverse due to the influence of distinct ethnics groups and people from other countries that "spread" their traditions from generation to generation.
An example of a habit that is shared by Brazilian families is the family gatherings to celebrate commemorative dates, such as birthday parties, Christmas, New Year, or even having a party for no reason. In addition to preparing meals together, it is very common, especially for the poorest families, who live in the favelas, for each family member to prepare a dish to share at meetings. For example, in my family, we do this. In our family reunions, each family member helps with what he/she can, whether it’s giving money, food, or helping to cook. Brazilian families also enjoy having fun together, like going to the beach and traveling.
A very strong tradition of the Brazilian families is religion. When parents follow a religion, they tend to lead their children to follow it. The Brazilian regional diversity also influences family traditions, like the Northeastern families, that share the "festas juninas" and the local culinary.
So we can see that Brazilian families do not fit into just one definition of family, as well as their habits/traditions for being so multiple. Therefore, they share similarities and differences.

Text created by Francisca Gomes, a student at CLAC-UFRJ, from Rio de Janeiro.